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Aurelian Indaris
Aurelian Viraxon Indaris is a Sin’dorei nobleman and the current lord of the Crescent Hills. Aurelian is the second child of Arcannon Indaris and was arguably his favorite. Aurelian’s vain arrogance and reckless behavior has earned him few true friends, but very few can deny he is cunning, ruthless and power hungry. Though he has only sat upon the throne of Indaris for some few years now, already he has made an impact upon the Gilded Lands and the wider Quel’thalas. Following his father’s death, Aurelian ascended to the throne alongside his brother, Caledon. Together the two managed to reclaim much of house Indaris’ lost status in the wake of Arcannon’s death, due in no small part to Aurelian’s pension for ruthlessness. Recent events however have left Aurelian the sole ruler of House Indaris, steering the house through a rocky and uncertain future. Currently, Aurelian Indaris dwells in his home of Castle Indaris. He is engaged to lady Calithielwen Riverwind, the disgraced heir to the Riverwind holdings. His power is not unquestionable however, for rumors of a claimant to the throne have arisen in the wake of the Legion’s invasion. Appearance Aurelian is a large man, handsome of face and strong of build. Remarkably, he has no scars or blemish of any kind on his persons despite the years of fighting and injuries sustained. Some have rumored it to be illusion magic, though Aurelian himself is incapable of much spell craft. His shoulders are as broad as his smile, paying compliment to his powerful form. Aurelian has described himself a vain man, and so strives to look as every bit the regal lord as he should. There is never a time he is without a jeweled torque around his throat, a gift he describes from his mother. The gemstones within swirl and thrum with the colors of the cosmos, appearing almost otherworldly in nature. Often, he pairs such jewelry with large crystal earrings and gold caps for his ears. Early Life Aurelian was born two hundred years before the opening of the dark portal within the early months of Spring. The second son of Arcannon and Cydonia Indaris, Aurelian grew up in a life of privilege. Nothing was beyond his desires, for whatever he wished for was made real. He grew up within the Crescent Hills, learning of its people and ways all in an effort to sate his curiosity. Charming and polite, Aurelian was quick to learn the ways of horseback riding, fencing and other forms of nobleman etiquette. As the second son however, Aurelian had no claim to the throne for legally his elder brother, Caledon, was destined to rule. Yet early in Aurelian’s life, Arcannon began to favor his second son due to conflict between Caledon and his father. It was unclear what had occurred, but there was a noticeable growing favoritism, spurring the growth of Aurelian’s vanity and ego. Unfortunately, Arcannon did little to stop Aurelian’s pride and instead helped promote it, molding Aurelian to be identical a man as he was. The soft-spoken, calm mannered Caledon often clashed with his more arrogant, reckless brother as the two grow up, striving to earn their father’s affection. Aurelian however was being molded more and more into his father’s image, doing little except overshadow Caledon. Despite his growing arrogance, Aurelian maintained his charm from childhood, turning it to more carnal pursuits much to his house’s growing embarrassment. Seeking to reign in Aurelian’s wild behavior and reduce the scandal he could cause, Arcannon arranged a series of arranged marriages and meetings, hoping for Aurelian to settle down. Aurelian however was more interested in the ‘moment’ of things, quickly growing bored with lovers. It was rumored he had even bedded one of the Windrunner sisters, though to this day he has never said which one for fear of being murdered. It wasn’t until Lady Riverwind did Aurelian finally find someone worth his time. Calithielwen Desperate to rein in Aurelian and save the house from an unwanted scandal, Arcannon treated with the neighboring lord Riverwind. Lord Riverwind had a daughter of fierce independence and fiery passion, which Arcannon assumed would be more than a match for Aurelian. House Riverwind was also wealthy, and so an arranged marriage would strengthen trade ties. In secret the two lords conspired, arranging for Aurelian and Calithielwen to meet at one of the many Indaris’ balls. The two hit it off immediately, finding mutual attraction. It was not long before Aurelian found himself completely and utterly smitten by Calithielwen, who he found more than capable of holding his attention. A marriage was arranged, set to occur several years later in a grand ceremony worthy of even the King of Quel’thalas. It was not to be however, for Arcannon called off the wedding and forbade his son from seeing Calithielwen. It is uncertain what occurred, but the prevailing belief was that trade negotiations soured. Despite this, Aurelian continued to see Calithielwen in secret, promising to spend all his days with her. Arcannon however discovered that Aurelian disobeyed his orders and in revenge orchestrated false rumors of Calithielwen’s promiscuous ways, shaming her and causing Lord Riverwind to disown her. He forbade Aurelian once more from seeing her, promising that if Aurelian continued he would disown him and strip him of all ranks, titles and power. Fearing a life different from the one he had always known and believing that once he took power he could change things, Aurelian obeyed his father’s wishes. The incident had somewhat worked out as Arcannon had hoped, for after that Aurelian remained mostly chaste save the odd girl or two. It was not for nearly a hundred years until Aurelian and Calithielwen would reunite, but things had changed drastically since then. The Second War When the orcs invaded the borders of Quel’thalas, Aurelian marched alongside his father to purge their home of the invaders. Aurelian earned much praise for his swordsmanship during the war, single handedly slaying dozens of orcs and trolls. The invasion had fostered a hatred for the two races in Aurelian, something that would last to the present day. However, the horrors of the Second War paled before the tragedy of the Scourge. The Scourge The Invasion of Prince Arthas and the Scourge ruined most of Quel’thalas. The Gilded Lands in its pocket to the Southwest fared better than most against the invasion, though it costed the lives of many elves. An assembled host of the Gilded Lands led by Arcannon and Aurelian’s estranged cousin lord Dawngrasp did little save buy time for refugees to retreat to the highly fortified castles in the Gilded Lands. For the first time, Castle Indaris became home to commoners as well as nobles, and Aurelian was among the defenders. Day in and day out he fought upon the walls, aiding in holding back the scourge even as they ravaged the country side. For all his efforts, Aurelian could not fight against hunger and disease, the latter of which claimed the life of his mother. Ashamed at his inability to save his mother and to cope with the horrors of the scourge, Aurelian turned to drink. When Arthas left, the mindless hosts of the undead continued to haunt the lands. Aurelian led many a party to hunt down bands of scourge, his hatred of the undead growing with each destroyed village found. Though the greater southern Quel’thalas had become a barren wasteland of blight and decay, much of the Gilded Lands was spared. Nevertheless, it would be many years before the Crescent Hills and the Gilded Lands as a whole were purged of the undead, allowing the survivors to link up with the returned Prince Kael'thas. Ascension The years after the Scourge invasion all but destroyed House Indaris, as numerous rivals sought to bring the once vaunted house crashing down. Arcannon did his best to hold back his rivals, and for a time succeeded. However it was not to last, for Arcannon was assassinated within his own office by an unknown party. Arcannon had not drafted a will naming Aurelian as his heir, leaving Caledon with ownership. Arrogantly, Aurelian challenged his brother’s claim, arguing that Arcannon had all but favored Aurelian. The two bickered and fought, nearly coming to sword blows before their younger sister, Valera, stepped in. She argued that divided they would ensure the house collapsed, yet together they may be able to steer the house through an uncertain future. Hesitantly, the two agreed to become joint rulers of the house. Though unorthodox, it proved successful as the two not only saved the house, but ensured it thrived. It was during this time Aurelian joined the Sunguard, a militia sponsored by several noble houses. He joined in order to boost his own prestige and glory, as well as search for allies beyond the Gilded Lands. He even reunited with Calithielwen, whom he had never stopped loving. His affections towards her however were seemingly one sided, for she harbored hatred for him abandoning her. Aurelian strove to win her back, succeeding in convincing her to betroth him once more. Knowing it was less to do with love and more to re-instate her as a noble woman and return as heir to the Riverwind, Aurelian seemingly maintains a distant relationship with her still. The Legion's Invasion The Legion’s invasion has proven incredibly influential to Aurelian. The rediscovery of Suramar revealed to him living relatives from before the Night Elves crossed the sea in the form of Illuria and Corvayon Indaris, children of the house’s first patriarch Valkorius Indaris. It was also during this time that dark forces conspired to destroy the Gilded Lands and, eventually, Quel’thalas itself. Away at war, Aurelian left power to his brother Caledon and his betrothed much to the former’s displeasure. Despite their leadership however, they were unequipped to stop a demonic plot to invade the Gilded Lands. The demons had infiltrated both House Indaris and the troll tribes to the far south, which had harbored an intense hatred for millennia. Orchestrating an invasion that cost the elves dearly, the trolls were only stopped thanks to Aurelian’s return and the aid of Silvermoon at the second Battle of Darkmeadow. Meanwhile, Caledon had uncovered the demons in House Indaris thanks to Calithielwen and succeeded at stopping them though the events left him comatose and Valera in a deep slumber. Shortly after this, Illuria had called for Aurelian’s aid in stopping her brother. During this time Aurelian learned much of Suramar and the Nightborne culture, becoming engrossed in their way of life. The allure did not last, as several of Aurelian’s comrades he had gained in Suramar were murdered. Goaded by Illuria, Aurelian tracked down and killed Corvayon, though it was revealed to be a plot orchestrated by Illuria. Despite the betrayal, Aurelian was able to reunite with Valkorius himself, who revealed he had been disguised in Suramar and had only just recently been freed from a prison on the Broken Isle. Together they succeeded in stopping Illuria’s bid to become one of Grand Magistrix Elisande’s advisors, murdering her in her home and leaving Valkorius to take control of the Suramar side of house Indaris. Aurelian returned home once more, only to find more trouble brewing. Category:Characters Category:Sunspears